Heartful Cry
by beamknight87
Summary: When the chance to make him come back appeared before her eyes, Yukari had to make the hardest decision of her life, one where the choices were divided between friendship and love. Complete.


**Heartful Cry**

By: beamknight87

I don't own P3

"I still think this has bad idea written all over it", weakly muttered Junpei behind us as we slowly walked down the stairs towards that dreaded place called Abyss of Time.

I didn't bother with turning around. I knew what he meant. But that only made me grip my bow even harder. I seriously expected it to break in two due to how much pressure I was putting in it at his words.

But never in my life had I been so determined about something.

Not even when I naively decided to move here to search for clues about the truth behind dad's death in what seemed so long ago…

"Seriously Yukari. Do you realize the situation you're putting all us on?" he continued, sounding surprisingly serious, like he did on very exceptional occasions. Those were pretty rare.

And most probably this was the most exceptional one, as our bonds, our very same friendship was at risk here.

"I know how you feel or at least I think I do. He also was my friend. Probably the best I ever had and the year I spent with him was very precious to me. If there was something we could do by going back to prevent him from… doing what he did… I would gladly side with you. But what you are asking for this time is simply too much…" He surely had a lot of nerve for giving me that tone of pity on his voice!

I gritted my teeth. Suddenly stopping on my tracks and slamming my feet as hard as I could on the stairs. I heard both Mitsuru-senpai and Junpei also stopping behind me, Koromaru whimpering a little.

Surely he was hiding between Junpei's feet.

Was my resolution so scary that it could frighten the poor dog?

I tried as hard as I could to keep my voice calm. Not really wanting to release my anger at him for pointing the obvious. The best I could do was kept my eyes on the ground.

But the truth was that I would have gladly screamed at him with all my lungs like I have never done before.

"… And do you think I do not realize it? Do you seriously think I suggested this without realizing the consequences? Or is it only that you are too scared to take a chance? A one-lifetime chance that could make him come back… to us". It took all my willpower to avoid saying "me", as that was how I felt. The last words came out of my mouth almost in whispers, as my voice threatened to crack any second now. "Also…" I continued, after taking a deep breath to recover, a bitter grin forming in my face, "…it's not as if you or someone else came up with a better solution".

That must have hit a nerve, as I suddenly felt his hand roughly take me by the shoulder.

"Cut it out already! We all know well that fighting each other will do us no good! We've helping each other until now to deal with our troubles to keep moving forward! Even you were saying it since the moment we became stuck in this place, when we saw the door of your past! And now you're backing down on your words? I thought you were stronger than that!" he accused, talking like a smartass.

That made me even angrier.

What did _he_ knew about me?

After all, the only person whom with I had really shared all my secrets, all my thoughts, all my feelings was…

This time I violently spun around, practically not even thinking that a false move would drag me and probably even Junpei rolling a long way down the stairs, which would end up with us having more than just a few bruises all over.

"Oh! And what do YOU know about moving forward, eh Junpei!?" I shouted, not caring anymore to try to keep my calm charade. "Are you saying that is fine that your girlfriend came back from the dead out of the blue and now that we have the chance to make the same happen for him knowing we can do it with our own hands isn't right!? That only you deserve to recover your happiness!?" Venom was now practically dripping from my voice. "I think I get it now, what you really are afraid of is not being able to see that Chidori girl again, right? That's why all your urgency to leave this place as soon as you could was all about! To run away and get some comfort from her, or maybe the other way around?" I felt rather bad at the satisfaction that those scornful words I said brought upon me and I immediately regretted saying them, but right now, the pressure of the situation was almost too much to bear and lately everyone had been saying things they had not meant to.

I surely was not the exception, quite the contrary.

He did not even respond. All I could see with twisted joy was the look on his eyes.

Surprise, shock, pain, guilt and hate.

All at once.

I barely registered his right hand forming into a fist and soaring right to my face. I didn't care if he hit me. We soon would be hitting each other with something more than just fists. That priceless look had been worth it. Maybe I had gone too far in such a touchy subject, but the fact that Junpei reacted like this meant that most probably I guessed right.

"IORI!"

Just a second before I felt what surely would be a throbbing pain on my cheek, the commanding voice of the Kirijo heiress echoed like a thunder on the place, freezing Junpei right before his fist made contact with my face. I noted that Koromaru had also barked at the same time as her. Both giving us a severe stare.

How shameful…

Junpei's shocked expression had vanished. He slowly let me go and turned to face upstairs, towards the lounge. We all remained silent, only the sound of his harsh breathing until it calmed down preventing absolute silence.

To everyone's surprise, he started to give soft laughs, running his hand over his cap as he usually did when he was puzzled or confused.

"Je. Look at us. Squabbling over things like this and you seriously expect that if we manage go back we will be able to do any better than last time? To perform a miracle as he did?" he asked, a tone of irony on his voice. "Yes, Yukari, I'm afraid. I'm afraid that if we do what you want we will face Nyx again. And if this time we can't beat her I will not see Chidori or the rest of you guys again". I was really surprised by the tone of maturity he evoked. He definitely was a complete different Junpei from the one of exactly one year ago. He had grown up a lot.

Unlike me.

All my life I had wanted to not be like my mother. To be strong. To be able to look at the future without faltering and move forward. To be able to go on without looking back.

But I couldn't lie to myself.

Not with the feelings that dwelled inside me like this, shattering my heart again and again every time I pictured his face on my mind.

Was this how she felt when dad died? Was something like this the reason of that attitude I hated of her so much?

Maybe in the end… I was not so different from her.

That thought made me sick.

"We all swore at that time that we would face the end together. We kept repeating that we would not let Nyx bring the end of the world but deep down I'm pretty sure everyone knew we were just bluffing. We _knew_ that we would die together". There, he said it. The truth that no one had wanted to admit until it was too late, after he went to confront Nyx by himself. "And look at what he did Yukari. You know he was different from all us. We all know it. What he did was his own choice and I don't think he had any regrets about it. I agree with what Sanada-senpai tried to point out in the lounge: He faced that monster with his own resolve, staring at it right on its face and paid the ultimate price. For us. I don't think we should undo and waste that, what Ryoji said was… his answer to life…" he finished. Deep down I knew that his words were true no matter how I tried to look at it.

But then why… why it hurt so much just to try to accept that?

I simply couldn't.

And now that I had seen a glimmer of hope… for faint it was… I would cling at it no matter what.

"Iori, is that how you really feel?" Mitsuru-senpai asked, a faint tone of admiration, yet also sadness on her voice, surely impressed after hearing such mature thoughts come from his mouth.

"Yeah…" he said turning around, a sad smile on his face, which soon turned to a determined frown. "Hence I won't let any of you guys gather all the keys until we all have discussed and reached an agreement. That's why..." he kneeled at Koromaru's side, the dog beginning to growl at us. It was funny that the dog seemed to comprehend perfectly his feelings. Maybe it was because Junpei had been the first one of us with which he encountered. "… me and my pal right here won't hold back on this fight".

Mitsuru-senpai let out a deep sigh, evidence of the irreconcilable thoughts of the two parties. "I see… then we have nothing else to say about", she announced. Junpei took this as his cue to leave, Koromaru faithfully keeping next to him. He passed at my side without bothering to look me and only stopped when the redhead spoke again. "And Iori… I want you to know that we respect your resolve", she said softly.

Junpei chuckled. "Yeah. Me too. None of this would make any sense if we didn't understood how everyone feels about something so dense like this. Personally I really hate hitting girls, but drastic times call for drastic measures. I'd watch out for Sanada-senpai and Amada-kun though. They really meant business up there… but I guess that also goes for you too". He continued his slow descend and it was until then that I was finally able to undo the knot on my throat to speak again, desperately calling him.

"Junpei! I… I'm sorry about…" I was not able to finish as he interrupted me.

"Je, don't be Yuka-tan, I know how you feel", he said without stopping. "A woman's heart is complicated. That's one thing I have learned the hard way. But I still hold my position: We shouldn't mess with the past and I'm sure as hell that seeing us quarreling like this would be the last thing he ever wanted".

We remained quiet, listening to the echo of his footsteps as he continued his way down. Junpei said no more. He only lifted his right hand to us as a goodbye signal and kept it up until he disappeared in the darkness below.

We stood there without moving even after the sound of Junpei's footsteps also vanished. I glanced at the redhead, who seemed to still contemplate the bottom of the stairs and surely the words of the young man.

I started to feel uncomfortable. Since the trip to Kyoto, Mitsuru-senpai and I had opened to each other more and more. We certainly were good friends and I was sure that we could still grow a lot closer. But since his death the mood in the dorm had deteriorated dramatically. It was almost as if we had been brought back to square one, when everybody only minded their own business and rarely talked to each other about anything save Tartarus or The Lost and that was only because we were teammates. But now that was gone too.

Also, I still didn't know why she decided to be at my side on this matter when I was sure she would team-up with Sanada-senpai…

"Don't", her fine voice suddenly announced.

Now that took me by surprise.

"Eh?"

"Don't doubt about your resolve now. If you do, then all the sacrifices that we have made so far would all have been for nothing", she said, facing me directly. Was I so easy to read? I tried my best to keep my gaze on hers, but in the end I couldn't. The thoughts of the hellish last month and Junpei's words were gnawing my heart, making me to start to regret my decision.

However, I had to share with someone this oppression in my chest that I couldn't bear any longer. I was surprised by the rush of feelings and mixed emotions that the words of the redhead suddenly brought upon me. I knew that I had… no, that I _needed_ to tell her how I felt in order to be able to go on with this. "It… its just that I feel torn in two. A part of me knows that this is wrong. That what Junpei, Sanada-senpai and Amada-kun said is true. But… the other part of me desperately wants to see him again, no matter what", I sniffed, finally releasing my worries like a torrent, now unstoppable. "I don't want my last memory of him be watching him lying in a hospital bed, his life slowly fading away while I held his cold hand, begging for him to wake up. If… if I can do something to prevent that from happening… and make him come back…" It was not until Mitsuru-senpai put her hand on my shoulder that I realized I was trembling and crying, silent tears rolling down my cheeks. I lifted my face to see her sorrowful expression.

"I know. I feel the same way as you Yukari", she said showing a painful smile. "That's why I also share your decision. If we are able to help him, even if the chances for it are minimal… I'll do it. Because it was thanks to him that we made it this far. Because it was thanks to him that we all became friends. His sacrifice was exceptional, but… I want to believe that we could all have shared it… and he would still be here… with us…" she said, her own eyes also sparkling with a few tears, yet to my amazement of how strong she was, she didn't cry.

"Mitsuru…" I whispered. Her words meant so much for me at that moment.

She finally let me go, indicating me that there was no use in crying now. "Back then, when I first entered Tartarus and I used my Persona to protect my father… I learned something: You may as well do as your heart tells you so you won't regret it later. That's the right path", she sentenced, recomposing herself. I remembered well her determination when we saw that scene of her past. She was so little when she was forced to make such a decision…

"I know I made the right choice back then and right now this is what my heart tells me that is right. So… don't lose hope Yukari. Don't falter on your decision… for him…"

And with that, she started to walk down the stairs.

'_For him…'_

Yes.

I already knew since the discussion in the lounge that something like this would happen. I couldn't be weak right now. It was not the moment. And as she said, if I didn't follow my heart I would regret it forever.

I quickly caught up with her, managing to smile through the tears that still were flowing from my eyes. "Let's go together, Mitsuru-senpai!" I said, trying to keep steady my surely squeaky voice.

The redhead only nodded with a smile as we continued to go down.

Somehow… I felt that no matter what happened… we would be able to resolve this.

OOO

We finally arrived at the bottom of the stairs, the still and dry air around us and that weird yellow atmosphere where the flow of time felt distorted greeting us. Just how many times had the same day kept repeating over and over again? I was already used to this weird place with its multiple doors that led to places almost equal to Tartarus. The only difference was that now there was a new door right in the middle of the circle formed by the others.

Next to it was Metis.

And also Sanada-senpai and Amada-kun were there, staring coldly at us. I did my best to return them the favor.

"Junpei and Koromaru already went on", announced the gray haired boy, arms crossed, tilting his head towards the new door.

"Went on? What do you mean?" Mitsuru-senpai asked.

"To the Colosseo Purgatorio", answered Metis, in her almost childish voice that right now was really getting on my nerves. "You know, I told you that I would prepare a place for you to solve your differences. Think of it as some kind of arena. That way nobody will be able to appeal the outcome of the battles", she explained. Now that I thought about it, it was because of her that this mess started. At least I shared the opinion of Sanada-senpai that we couldn't trust her.

Not until we knew exactly who she was and where she came from.

And even less when her only concern was to "help" Aigis, if that meant going as far as harming us…

Another uncomfortable silence threatened to fell upon us. The tension was even thicker than during our talk with Junpei, most probably because these two had reached a completely opposite decision regarding the whole deal of the keys to that of ours…

It didn't matter. I promised to Mitsuru and to myself that I would not lose. For him. The stakes were simply too high.

"I know it is rude to ask…" Amada-kun's timid voice broke the silence, four pairs of eyes falling over him, yet to his credit his voice did not falter. "… but do you still have not reconsidered your decision?" he calmly asked.

I raised an eyebrow at him. After all what I said to them in the lounge I definitely expected him to accuse further my lack of tact. But then again, Ken had always been precocious, occasionally making him have an air of maturity that rivaled that of our senpais.

However, before Mitsuru-senpai or I could respond, Sanada-senpai continued, with his always oh so confident, secure voice. "Don't bother Amada. I know Mitsuru well enough to know when she has made her mind about something and will not back down. I can't say the same for Takeba but the look in her eyes is enough to tell me that she feels the same way. However… I don't want to hear anymore of your frivolous commentaries", he said, starting to walk towards us.

That was more like it, but…

Frivolous?

How dare he!

"Mitsuru! Takeba! You know very well that no matter how many times we discuss we will never sort this out with words! The decision will fall upon the team that gets the eight keys!" he exclaimed, raising his voice. It felt odd that the weight of his words was almost as powerful as when Mitsuru-senpai stopped Junpei up there in the stairs. "All this time we have been together and we fought side by side but I guess that ended with this situation! I'll repeat what I said in the lounge: the past was not a waste! The time I spent with him means too much for me and I won't let anyone make it lose its significance! I guess Junpei already told you this but I'll say it again: We won't show you mercy on this fight!" he ended, pointing a finger at us.

Was this some kind of battle declaration? I dunno if he did something similar during his box matches, but I found very arrogant from his part this attempt to intimidate us. And yet, his so confident speech didn't match his actions of the past days. He didn't take the loss any better than the rest of us and his way to cope with it certainly was no different. What about all the hours he spent daily at the gym during the last month? We knew very well about his training routine but lately it had been simply too much. It was almost as he practically lived in the gym and only came back to the dorm to sleep. If that was how he expressed how much the past year meant for him then his words were filled with nothing but bullshit. Did he really expected us to do nothing when the chance to change things for good was right in front of us?

Yet to my surprise Mitsuru-senpai took his challenge almost with relief. "… Is that all what you have to say, Akihiko?" she asked with a calm voice. "I'm sorry but I think the same as Yukari this time and I'll support her decision with everything I got. I'll use my Artemisia to cool down that hotheaded attitude of yours", she threatened with a cold frown.

"What did you say?" he asked, a hint of anger in his voice. Hmph, now it was my turn to smile a little. I knew well enough how much he hated when Mitsuru treated him like a child.

Before any of them could continue I decided to voice my thoughts. Akihiko was not the only one with some kind of announcement on his mind. "You are quite right", I started.

"…!?" I guess nobody saw that coming, especially from me but that didn't matter at all.

"But that's what concerns to you", I motioned to the two boys in front of us. "As Sanada-senpai said, this won't be solved with just a few simple words. The only way is to fight to reach a decision", I cited my own thoughts I expressed up there in the lounge and that were the cause of this bitterness.

"Yukari…!" Mitsuru-senpai exclaimed but I ignored her.

"But before we fight let me tell you something. I am here right now because I want to see him again. We all know that it was thanks to him that the bonds that grew between us were born in the first place. But this fight would not have any meaning at all if it destroys our friendship. What I know he would want less is to have discussions that would destroy our bonds. That's why I am here. Because it was thanks to him that we are all friends. And being a friend means sharing emotions, thoughts, feelings… like when we all were prepared to die together when we faced Nyx", I spoke in the most serious tone I could muster, my words making Sanada-senpai and Amada-kun open wide their eyes. I had finally made my full realization thanks to Junpei and Mitsuru-senpai up there in the stairs. "I want him to share the happiness we experienced after that battle, even if that comes at the cost of us sharing a bit of what took him away from us", I finished, with the most honest smile I could come up with.

"…"

"…"

Nobody said anything for a while. This time one could almost hear them thinking over what I had said thanks to the silence.

The youngest S.E.E.S. member was the first to collect his thoughts, the shadow of doubt faintly appearing on his voice "… E-Even if we manage to go back… will we be able to do something? This time… This time Nyx would actually not be stopped! There are so many things we have not considered that could go wrong and…!" Ken started but I interrupted him.

"And that doesn't mean that things will happen the same again", I said, looking him directly at the eyes. "What if this time we are able to share the sacrifice he did? To no let him carry whatever burden it was all by himself. Maybe… maybe that way he would not… have to die, and he would be here… with us…" I whispered.

"For minimal it is, it's still a chance that we can't discard. And as long as we have one and not zero I'll risk my life again in that battle. If for that is necessary to defeat you two, then I will not hesitate to do so!" Mitsuru-senpai concluded with a loud voice.

This time both Sanada-senpai and Amada-kun directed their gazes to the floor. How could they not understand it? We had a tiny bit of hope of success to make this work, it was not much, but then again we never had much hope to begin with during the last year when we first faced the shadows, then Strega and finally Nyx. And yet we always succeeded. Why not again this time?

"… I already told you, you are way too naïve", Sanada-senpai started, heading towards the door next to Metis. The robot-girl seemed to be mesmerized by our confrontation to such a point that we all had almost forgotten her. Was she that amazed by our feelings? Our emotions? In that aspect she strongly evoked Aigis. "With all what happened last year… no, with all that we have witnessed on this place you of all people should be able to understand it perfectly: It's no use to dwell in the past! Miki… Shinji… Him… nothing of that was a waste. But if that's what you think then I can do nothing to change your minds… Except to let my fists do the talking!" he said, apparently tired of this discussion.

Amada-kun soon followed behind him. "No matter what happens now, there will always be time later to fix the roughness between us that all this created", he stated, giving us that little smile of his.

That brought a little sense of relief inside me.

"So… I take that no matter what happens… we will still be friends?" I asked, maybe a bit too expectant of their response.

I thought that neither of them would respond, but right when Sanada-senpai touched the doorknob I got my answer. "Yeah… the best", he muttered with a calm tone.

A flash of light and a moment later they were gone, surely heading to the place Metis mentioned.

We stood there a few more moments, contemplating the door.

"Well then, shall we follow Yukari?" Mitsuru-senpai finally asked, also starting to head towards the portal.

"Yeah, coming…" I answered. Their will and decision seemed pretty strong.

Soon we would see who had the strongest one.

Just right before we also passed through the door, the nervous voice of Metis stopped us. "W-Wait!"

"Uh? Is something the matter?" Mitsuru-senpai asked, a faint tone of impatience evident in her voice.

"Uh… well… you keep mentioning "him". But who was this person? What was the name of the one that had the same power as my sister? That at least I would want to know. He is the cause for this dispute, is not? I would ask my sister but she seems too much dazed by all what has happened since we fought that… strange shadow… I'm afraid she will not even pay me attention for a while" she said, true curiosity on her voice as she gazed at the ground, apparently ashamed by her request.

She indeed was so much like Aigis back then when she first arrived to the dorm.

Almost like a child. I could not avoid a chuckle escape from my throat at her request. I was more than happy to respond her that. "You mean Minato-kun? He was…"

"… Pretty exceptional", Mitsuru-senpai ended for me, also with a soft laugh.

Metis just kept giving us a puzzled look.

OOO

"Yukari… what do you think will be Aigis decision?" Mitsuru-senpai asked while she stood in front of the gigantic double doors at the end of the little garden we were in. Metis had not been lying when she asked us to think of the place as a battle arena, it was practically a real coliseum!

Guess that nobody would hesitate to go all out in a place like this…

"I'm starting to consider true you theory that she actually in some way inherited Arisato's power…" she continued, hesitating a little at the mention of his name, "and because of that factor her choice will probably be decisive on this matter. But at what extent I do not know…" she finished, clearly troubled.

"…" I couldn't think of an immediate response. Her question actually surprised me a little, as we had already spent probably an hour here after we left the Desert of Doors discussing our strategy for the upcoming battles. Was she having second thoughts? We had already made our choice knowing there was no turning back although it was indeed true that we still had not heard Aigis opinion… or Fuuka-chan's for the matter, although the green haired girl had always been the most indecisive one between all of us, so she most probably would simply give in to the winner's choice.

"I don't know", I said, moving towards the gigantic doors again trying to push them open in vain. I couldn't tell for sure, but I figured that someone was already fighting past beyond this gate and we just simply had to wait our turn to enter the stage. "But the upcoming battles are for demonstrate who has the strongest mind and heart. If at the bottom of her heart there is still the faintest trace of insecurity, she will never be able to beat me", I announced, simply telling her how I felt.

Strangely, now I felt very calm, knowing I neither would show my comrades any mercy if we ended up fighting. Would Mitsuru-senpai think of me as a cruel person for that…? I'm sure she was thinking about Metis warning about what could happen to Aigis if she lost her key. Personally I think that was just a bluff from her part. Did she seriously expected us to believe her after all what she had done? To me it sounded more like a poor attempt of hers to try to "protect" her sister.

"I see… then it appears that the only one who will be able to obtain all the keys will be the one with the strongest will", she sentenced. Was she suggesting that Aigis would be the one to succeed? It was true that her resolve at the beginning of this mess must have been tremendous to enable her to somehow… acquire his power… but up there in the lounge she was the only one of us that didn't came up with a decision. And if by the time she faced us she still didn't had one, it would be her defeat.

Aigis… surely she would prove to be a very difficult foe… No matter how strong our Personas were, she would be able to find a way to effectively confront us. I had already witnessed her, leading us through the battles against the shadows just like the old times as Minato did…

Yet, I would not lose to her, no matter what.

Mitsuru-senpai spoke again, this time saying something that really troubled me a little. "I know that we can't turn back now, however I can't help but to think about what Metis said before. This strong desire that originated from the bottom of our hearts was what created that… monster with Arisato's appearance. It could probable be the source then for something even worse…"

I bit my lower lip. I knew what she meant. Our unspoken desire for seeing him again created that thing. Now that we were openly expressing it… could something worse even happen?

I sighed. There was so much to worry about to the point that a headache was imminent, although that was how I originally felt since I stepped in the dorm and found the unpleasant surprise that we couldn't leave. At first I had felt really annoyed by the situation, wanting to get over with as quickly as possible since the place evoked too many painful memories I desperately wanted to leave behind. But the further we advanced, the more came back. All what had happened here made remember too well the past year.

Seeing Orpheus again.

Following a leader capable of using multiple Personas.

Defeating shadows through endless floors that were lurking with them.

Seeing that… monster with Minato's exact appearance fight us in his almost invincible style. My heart skipped a beat when we defeated it, as for a moment we saw again his gentle, calm smile. As if he was thanking us for releasing him from that shadow.

That little smile was all I needed to come up with my decision.

I tried to push open the gigantic doors again in a futile attempt, recalling the days before everything went to hell…

XXX

It had been so painful… Since the graduation day, when we found Aigis and him on the rooftop… we figured he was just asleep, resting a little due to all what he had accomplished and because all through February he had looked really exhausted. We naively thought that he would soon wake up and we would be able to regain together the time we lost when our memories of the events of the Dark Hour vanished.

We even went to see the cherry blossoms that were blooming beautifully on that day, talking, joking, filled with joy that we were able to keep our promise, preparing to throw a big party that night at the dorm to celebrate the occasion. I still remember how Junpei commented more than once how deep Minato's slumber was since he carried him on his back all day and the blue haired boy didn't even flinch. But at that moment we didn't worry about it. His face looked so serene and peaceful, a little smile formed on his lips.

It was not until the next day that the cloud of concern and uneasiness formed in our hearts. It was already well past noon and he was still asleep. Aigis commented that she had been entering into his room since the morning and had not noticed any changes on his condition despite his slow breathing. We all exchanged nervous looks not knowing what to do. It's true that during the typhoon that hit last year he also slept like a rock through the storm but something told us that this time it was not the same. Something was… different…

Mitsuru-senpai decided to not take any chances and in less than an hour she had arranged a check-up for him in the Tatsumi Memorial Hospital. I thought it was funny that he ended up in the same room in which he had awaken one year ago, after he saved my life on the rooftop on that fatidic night… The anxiety and preoccupation in the waiting room had been too much and the news that we received about his condition later were no better either. "Coma" was the diagnosis. At that moment I felt as if a ton of bricks fell upon me all at once. Nobody could believe it, there had to be some kind of mistake. Junpei even gave a nervous laugh to the doctor and asked him if Minato would soon wake up, since this shouldn't be a big deal.

The grave face of the doctor and his announcement that they couldn't find any problem yet his body was rapidly deteriorating finally scared us all for good. I think the physician yelled at us for running through the halls, accusing us of bothering the other patients, but I guess that nobody, not even Mitsuru-senpai heard him. We all rushed to his room to confirm with our own eyes the cruel reality that started to fall upon us. It couldn't be, no matter how you looked at him he was just sleeping peacefully, as if he had just gone to bed after a long day of hard work.

The following days were pure torture.

Only Aigis was the one able to stay at his side almost all the time due to her nature. Us on the other hand returned to the dorm every night, with a terrible feeling in the pit of our stomachs fearing that tomorrow he maybe would be gone. We barely exchanged a word on those nights, the shadow of his death becoming more and more visible every time we went to visit him.

It was finally on the third day that I was reduced to a pile of tears over the situation after what happened.

It was past noon, and with the exception of Mitsuru-senpai who had to attend to an emergency meeting of the Kirijo group, we all again went to visit him. We were surprised to see coming out from his room before we arrived to it two persons from our school. Most probably news about his condition had finally spread. They were members of the Student Council of last year. I didn't remember the name of the male, but his I-know-it-all-face allowed me to recognize him as the same person who had asked me to look for Mitsuru-senpai back then before the trip to Kyoto. At that moment his usually confident face showed evident preoccupation as he was desperately trying to calm down the hysteric girl with glasses that was accompanying him. Chihiro, the Treasurer of the Council whom had had some kind of trouble about money and her position during last year. She was well known for her timidity and passive attitude, especially around guys, although I had heard that she often hanged around Minato in the bookstores at Iwatodai Station.

I don't think the crying girl even bothered to look at us, while her companion just offered us an apologetic look in silence while they passed at our side. No one said anything as we just continued our way to his room. When we entered we found Aigis fast asleep sitting on a chair next to Minato's bed. The warm sunlight was bathing his face, which now looked paler. It was evident his condition was not getting any better. Quite the opposite. Yet strangely, that little enigmatic smile was still present on his lips…

We probably had just spent no more than an hour there. Fuuka suggested waking up Aigis but we decided against doing so. She looked really tired and most probably needed some rest after staying up for almost 72 hours straight despite being a robot. Sanada-senpai tried to relax the mood saying that once this was over he would drag Minato's ass to the boxing club and personally give him a training schedule from hell for making us worry us so much despite no longer being a Gekkoukan student. We all snickered a little and for the first time since Minato had fallen unconscious we were able to share an honest laugh.

We were still laughing at the thought when more people from our school came through the door. Our former classmates Kenji and Kazushi (not surprisingly in his track suit) and the Team Manager from the kendo school club, Yuko. Seeing their worried faces made us shut up almost instantly, Junpei and me muttering a weak "Hey" to them, the group of newcomers doing the same.

"How… how is he…?" timidly asked Yuko after politely closing the door behind them, the depressing mood returning almost instantly.

We all looked at each other, asking silently which one of us would have the courage to say what was happening. "He has been like this for four days. We…" Fuuka's soft voice started. Frankly I thought it would be either Sanada-senpai or Junpei the ones who would break the ice. "We simply don't know when he will… wake up", Fuuka responded shyly, trying to make it sound less bad than it really was.

"You… you serious?!" a shocked Kazushi asked, eyes wide open while he walked towards the bed. We all just nodded silently, as if confirming his question would actually worsen his condition even further. It seemed like he didn't believe us and tried to confirm it for himself. "Come on man, you gotta wake up! I didn't mean this when I told ya to get some rest! What… what about our promise of giving everything we got for the kendo club this year? The spring tournament is gonna be soon! I warned you that with my knee fully healed I would leave you behind if you slacked off!" he said, fear trembling on his voice, looking right about to almost shake Minato by the shoulders as if trying to make him listen to his words.

I was about to tell him to calm down and avoid doing anything stupid to the blue haired boy but Kenji was faster.

"Hey Kaz, leave him alone!" he said in a serious tone, also getting closer to the bed. "Probably he is just exhausted or something, he didn't look too good through most of February, remember?", he continued, his frown indicating that he was practically scolding the athlete maniac. "Geez dude, you're hopeless. Calm down. It's not as if he will die or something. He probably just has that weird Apathy Syndrome". Suddenly I felt as if I had a ball of cold steel stuck on my throat due to his words. I quickly glanced at the other S.E.E.S. members to see a very tense look on their eyes. I wanted to warn Kenji that for his own sake he had to shut up that big mouth of his!

"You saw all those freaks last year. One moment stuck on their beds and then bam! As if nothing had happened at al-"

I would say that Kenji was unconscious before even hitting the ground.

I know… we all know he had just meant that as a joke. Kenji had a reputation for that. But, the topic had been _too_ touchy. I think I heard something snap inside Junpei, almost as the shattering sound of glass we always heard every time we released our Personas. I expected Trismegistus to appear in any moment and demolish the place. The only time I had seen him so enraged was when Chidori died on his arms. He literally jumped on his feet and punched Kenji right in the face with all his strength, screaming "SHUT UP!" I don't think he even meant to attack the ramen-gourmet, rather the frustration that had built inside him finally reached its limit.

The commotion was enough to roughly awake Aigis, whom had a confused and scared look on her face. Fuuka gasped and covered her face with both her hands while Ken and I stood up a second too late to try to stop Junpei's rampage.

Thankfully Sanada-senpai, Kazushi and Yuko reacted in time; otherwise Kenji would have ended up with something far worse than a broken nose. Junpei looked like a mad bull ready to tear apart the poor guy on the floor that had his face covered in blood. Despite three people restraining him with all their forces it seemed like he would be able to overpower them any second now.

"LET ME GO! THIS GUYS DOESN'T KNOW SHIT AND DARES TO TALK ABOUT HIM LIKE THAT!? I'M GONNA MAKE HIM SHUT UP FOR GOOD!" he screamed like a madman, struggling frenetically to get free.

"Don't be an idiot! Calm down, Junpei! You're not making this any better!" roared Akihiko while he twisted Junpei's right hand to his back and applied enough pressure to almost break his arm, finally taking him down and pinning him to the ground.

"How the fuck I am supposed to calm down!? I can't take this shit anymore! It's not fair! After all what we went through why he is the only one that has to die while so many assholes out there are enjoying their lives not even knowing what the fuck actually happened!" he screamed, his voice trembling with rage. His words made a heavy impact on us as definitely I and surely the rest had been thinking the exact same thing yet we didn't dare to express such thoughts. Until now. "There are still freaks out there wishing for Nyx! Is this why we fought for!? Shit! Shit! Shit!" Junpei now was punching his right hand as hard as he could against the ground, no longer caring about Kenji and surely not even realizing Sanada-senpai had let him go.

"Junpei…" sadly muttered Akihiko realizing what he meant. I risked a glance at our visitors to see them with a puzzled and freaked out expression, yet thankfully they didn't asked anything.

Probably fearing that Junpei would also jump to attack them.

The uncomfortable situation ended a few moments later, as a scandalized nurse and a doctor came through the door, demanding to know what the hell had happened. Sanada-senpai immediately responded for all of us, saying that he would take full responsibility of the situation and helped them to carry Kenji to another room so he could get his nose patched up. Yet, the doctor was clever enough to figure out at least the violent outbreak and demanded Junpei to leave the place at once, commenting that he had never been like this during all the times he had visited that "strange redheaded girl". With an ashamed look and a quiet "See ya guys", he was escorted by a severe-looking nurse to the exit.

After that, Kazushi and Yuko left with a timid, almost inaudible "Goodbye" that made us feel worse than ever. Aigis looked like she wanted to ask what had happened, as most probably she had never seen anyone of us react so violently, but surprisingly she had the common sense to don't ask.

"Yukari-chan…?" Fuuka asked when she saw me starting to go out of the room with my head cast down when the silent mood became simply too much to bear.

"It's… it's nothing Fuuka. I just need some… fresh air, ok?" I said, without turning around, my voice threatening to crack any second now. I didn't bother to continue my charade and as soon I closed the door behind me I started to run for the exit, desperately seeking to get out of there as fast as I could.

XXX

After slamming shut the double doors of the dorm behind me my legs wavered a little and finally I crumbled down in the lobby, not being able to hold back the tears and the loud sobs anymore.

Never in my life I had cried like this.

But then again, I had never felt so miserable.

Just recalling what had happened in the hospital made me feel as if myriad of arrows were stabbing me right in the heart. During our journeys through Tartarus I had learned how to cope with physical pain, but when you were hurt on the inside like this it was a million times worse as you could absolutely do nothing. I understood perfectly the reason behind Junpei's outrage.

'_There are still freaks out there wishing for Nyx! Is this why we fought for!?_'

We were powerless.

What was the use of saving the world when you could not even save the life of one person? It was even worse knowing that normal people would never know the reason why their daily lives continued and who they owned for that.

Minato kept slowly getting away from us, to a place which we could not follow him. Exactly like he did went on his own to face Nyx, leaving us behind, pathetically sprawled on the ground as we could do nothing.

I don't know how much time I spent there crying on the ground and I'm pretty sure I would have stayed like that even longer had it not been for a familiar wetness I felt on the fingers of my left hand. Surprised, I looked up and finally noticed Koromaru in front of me, looking at me with big, sad eyes, whimpering. Had he been there all the time? He probably had tried to comfort me with his timid lick. That brought a little smile on my face. Such an intelligent dog. I was sure that even he was aware of what was happening… "Thanks, Koro-chan", I whispered, petting him on the head, earning an enthusiastic bark from him.

The tears long ago stooped flowing, but the crying of my heart was far from over. Taking out my cell phone I glanced at the hour. 6:00pm. Visit hours in the hospital had ended but surely Fuuka and the rest would not come back straight at the dorm. What happened today surely left everyone with thoughts of their own that had to ponder for a while. I didn't feel like doing anything but I knew that if I stayed here they would eventually find me blocking the entrance so I lazily got up, not feeling like seeing anyone for the rest of the day.

I literally dragged my feet in what seemed an eternity through the lounge and the stairs. Remembering the other only current occupant of the dorm I turned around and mumbled a soft "Be sure to welcome the rest", to which Koromaru gave another bark and returned to his usual place, waiting patiently next to the TV.

Originally I planned to go straight to my room on the third floor to try to get some rest but when I reached the floor where the boy's rooms were I suddenly stopped. My eyes kept facing on the direction of the door at the end of the hall, as if it was calling me. Before I realized it I was in front of his room, as if my feet had taken me there on their own. Some pleasant memories came to my mind, remembering all the times I had knocked his door…

I kept staring at the wooden surface, the beating of my heart suddenly growing faster. It definitely felt as if for some reason I had to go in, but at the same time I felt afraid to do so. It was almost the very same sensation I felt back then when I could still not properly use my Evoker…

Finally, summoning the little will I had after such and hectic day, my shaking hand grabbed the doorknob and I slowly turned it open, almost expecting something to happen…

But instead I was welcomed by the stillness.

And the emptiness.

That's how it felt inside his room.

I contemplated for a moment the environment. I had always been intrigued by Minato's lack of decorative sense or being brutally honest, sense of ownership. The place looked exactly like it did when he started to live here. Aside his schoolbag, a few books and his laptop, everything was the same. If you took out said objects and showed the room to anyone else surely they would say that it looked vacant and ready to be occupied, as nobody could possibly live here.

"Idiot", I muttered to myself. What was I doing, invading his privacy? Suddenly I felt embarrassed and ashamed for my intrusion by realizing the fool I was, entering his room expecting some kind of miracle.

I was about to leave when something in the corner of my eye caught my attention.

I gasped when I recognized what it was.

There, lying on the desk was his music player with those headphones I knew so well.

I kept staring at the object, his only real precious possession I knew he had wondering what it was doing here. As far as I knew, he never went out without his trusty music player and the only times I had seen him without it was back then at the beach in Yakushima and when I visited him at the hospital after…

Oh.

Slowly reaching for it, I delicately took the small object, almost fearing that if I used too much force I would break it. Holding it tight against my chest the tears silently came back again, realizing that most probably this was the embodiment of his personality and the closest I could be with him right now.

Was this what called me in? I didn't know why, but it felt as if this was going to be the last time I would be able to be here. Finally composing myself, I hesitated for a moment to put the music player back on the table where I found it. I was almost going to do so but in the last second my hands simply couldn't let it go and I decided to keep it. Putting the headphones over my ears I pressed the "Play" button and a soft, yet upbeat tune started to blast from the gadget. The song evoked a sense of nostalgia and familiarity that rushed over me, disorienting me for a moment.

With a last final look at the place, I headed towards the door and went through it, closing it behind me, still absorbed by the melody.

It was not until I reached my room that I finally realized why the tune sounded so familiar.

It was the very same song I vaguely heard come from this music player when Minato came in for the first time to the dorm.

XXX

Minato passed away the next day.

I was roughly awakened by Mitsuru-senpai in the morning, who knocked at my door and asked me to get ready since in her words, a matter of "critical importance" was needed to be discussed with everyone on the lounge.

I knew perfectly well what she meant despite that she managed to keep her professional tone of voice…

Managing to let out a dizzy "Ok" I made sure to let her know I would get down as soon as I could. I didn't remember falling asleep and even stranger was that I actually felt like I truly rested, as the past three nights even if my body managed to sleep, my mind was deprived of it due to the worry and preoccupation that was aggravating us all.

The last thing I remembered was still listening to Minato's music player…

I immediately reached down to my neck, sensing a wave of relief by actually touching the headphones that still were there, almost fearing that my visit to his room had been nothing but a dream.

Quickly getting a change of clothes, I briefly debated on what to do with the music player, since most probably the others would not take very well the fact of seeing me around with it and somehow, I felt that now I just couldn't let it go, as if it were some kind of… memento…

Shaking my head I just put it inside my pocket and hurried down the stairs. I caught up on the way with Junpei and Fuuka, both giving me a cautious look surely referring to the events that happened yesterday. I did my best to give them a small smile to assure them that more or less I felt better now.

We reached the lounge, where Mitsuru-senpai, Sanada-senpai, Ken and Koromaru were already gathered. Their severe looking faces indicated that what we were gonna hear wasn't exactly good news.

"Everyone…" the redhead started, she had, even if it only lasted for a brief moment, almost the same look she had back then during the first days she had to cope with the harsh reality of losing her father. "I think I speak for us all when I say that I sincerely hoped that… Minato's condition would somehow improve, but I'm afraid it is not the case". I think I wasn't the only one that found weird from her part to actually say our leader's first name, as she rarely used it, but nobody commented anything.

It was not the moment.

And I think everybody already had an idea of what were going to be her next words.

"I received a call last night from the Tatsumi Memorial Hospital. The physician in charge of monitoring Minato's condition informed me that his… progressive deterioration has reached its limits. Not only they were not able to figure the cause of it, but also no matter what they do, he keeps slipping away. Most probably he won't make it to the next day", she finished, her voice a barely audible whisper at her last words.

There was it. What we had refused to believe since we realized he was not waking up no matter what. I felt a knot starting to form in my throat, while a sob escaped Fuuka's lips.

"I apologize for not sharing this information with you the moment I received it, but I decided against doing so since I determined it would only disturb you further", she politely excused herself with her sophisticated voice, always thinking ahead and in everyone else before making a move, as she always did.

We kept silent a few moments, digesting her words until Junpei finally spoke. "So… this is it? The last time we are gonna see him? Again… he will be going ahead of us…? Shit…" his words full of impotence reflecting our very same thoughts.

Silence filled the room for a few moments.

"… If that is so… I think he would like us to be there for him. To give him our farewell…" Sanada-senpai finally said solemnly. "Are you ok with that?" he asked, looking at us.

I did my best to hold back the tears this time, taking a deep breath. Words were not needed; a silent nod from part of everyone was enough to agree to the proposition.

"Then it is decided… let's go", announced Mitsuru-senpai, heading for the door but stopped right before opening it. "And Iori… I expect you to behave accordingly this time", she said quietly. Surely she found out of what Junpei did yesterday and received more than a few complaints from part of the hospital.

"Y-yeah, Kirijo-senpai. I'm sorry about yesterday, it's just that… I can't simply accept this just like that…" he tried to find words to excuse himself.

"I understand how you feel Iori. But if there is something we have learned together is… that life is rarely fair", sentenced gravely the redhead before opening the door and going through it.

Knowing how true her words were, we stood there for a moment in silence before following her lead.

To say goodbye to him…

XXX

Aigis was nowhere to be found.

We thought that we would meet up with her today like we had done for the past three days but…

It was as if she had disappeared.

Prior to arriving to the Tatsumi hospital we thought we may have to leave Koromaru behind in the entrance. The same nurse who escorted Junpei yesterday out of the place was the one in charge of receiving patient's guests in the lobby and looked at our companion as if it was a sack of fleas rather than a well instructed dog. Fortunately, Mitsuru-senpai took care of the matter, stating that she would make sure Koromaru would not cause any trouble and if anything happened it then would be her responsibility alone.

Still not looking very convinced but facing none other than the head of the Kirijo group, she had no other choice but to agreed and let us pass, although not before muttering to Junpei a "No more knocking out people cold while you are here, young man", to which the capped boy just stuttered something incomprehensible.

The nurse diligently led the way until we reached Minato's room, but before letting us through, she turned around, a melancholic look on her face. "… That boy… he has been receiving a lot of visits. It really isn't something that you see with most patients. It's a shame though, he is so young and yet…" she trailed off, probably just wanting to voice her thoughts about the matter with not much delicacy from her part, I thought annoyed. "Oh! Excuse me, I just wanted to say that… I'm sorry for your friend", she said flustered by seven deadly glares and then proceeded to return the way from which we came.

With that, Junpei pushed open the door.

We were greeted by the sight of Minato, peacefully sleeping on the bed, now looking paler than ever, his blue hair now having lost his sheen. Next to him was a physician with a resigned look on his face, surely the very same one that had contacted Mitsuru-senpai.

"Oh, you're here", he said, turning around when he heard the door opening.

We entered, one by one and I was about to say it but Junpei was faster than me.

"Uh? Where's Ai-chan?" he asked, just like the rest of us puzzled by her absence.

It took a few seconds for the doctor to understand what Junpei was talking about.

"Ai…? Oh! You mean that blonde girl that always was at his side. Aigis was her name, right? I don't know. Since last night the nurse in charge of this room informed me that she was no longer here. I thought she may have finally decided to return to your dorm to get some rest…"

We all exchanged surprised looks. None of us had seen Aigis since yesterday's incident. Given that she had never left Minato's side at all we assumed she would be here…

Seeing our confused looks the physician just shrugged. "I see… well then… I'll leave you alone. It really pains me to say that no matter which methods I used, I could not overcome the passing away of your friend. I'm deeply sorry". And with that, he exited the room.

We were left alone.

With him, for the last time.

XXX

The sun was setting when Minato finally left us.

I was sitting next to him, holding his cold hand, a sad smile on my face. Soon after the doctor had exited the room Junpei had managed to ease the mood a little by saying that most probably Minato wouldn't like to see us like this. We had to cheer up a little, for him, as we still were together. Sanada-senpai had agreed with him and little by little the rest of us also did so.

We started to remember the times we all spent together, talking about the many things that happened last year, both the good and the bad ones. Junpei even asked Sanada-senpai, Mitsuru-senpai and me to relate Minato's very first battle, as apparently, he had never heard the whole history from the blue haired boy's lips. Neither Fuuka or Ken who also seemed to pick up interest on the topic.

"Whoa…", was the only thing the capped boy could mutter after we took turns to narrate the event, Mitsuru-senpai taking great pleasure in narrating how Sanada-senpai's recklessness had been the major cause of what had happened. The gray haired boy simply ignored her comment and told how surprised and even a little scared he had been when he saw the way Thanatos appeared, ripping Orpheus from the inside. I was the last one to talk; remembering how I was the one supposed to save him that night and failed him miserably, the roles getting reversed in the end.

The golden-orange light was starting to illuminate the room through the window, the prelude of the night announcing that it soon would come. Despite what Mitsusu-senpai and the doctor had said about Minato… a little part of me still hoped that somehow, he would wake up in any moment, asking with his usual coolness what was wrong. Looking at his unconscious form, I silently promised him that I would do my best to change this world, so that people would stop wishing for Nyx and the Fall… what I started to think he avoided with a sacrifice that probably was the cause of this.

Almost after I had finished my silent promise, his vital signs that were displayed on the monitors finally stopped completely, a dull whistle-like sound echoing in the room. Crying I gripped tighter his rigid cold hand, while the sobs of the rest of my friends started to escape their throats. When Koromaru started moments later to desolately howl, I finally gave in a last time to cry with all my heart, the others doing the same. Yet, I think that brought us even further together, as with the pain we all shared at that moment, I felt as if our hearts became one.

Moment later I heard the door suddenly opening, the same nurse and doctor that had received us today entering the room, both with a look of pity on their faces. With a solemn "I'm sorry", the nurse covered Minato's face with the bed sheet.

Yet, before she managed to do it I could see through the tears for one last time that his smile never left his face at all…

OOO

I was so submerged on my thoughts that I almost fell to the floor when the gigantic doors suddenly opened, as I had kept my hands slightly pushing them all this time and that got me by surprise when I suddenly found no resistance whatsoever.

Looking over at Mitsuru-senpai she simply nodded and started to walk through the dark corridor that had opened to us.

Walking silently at her side, I discretely reached up for the object that was hanging by my neck, hidden under my sweater along with the headphones. I gently caressed it.

Ever since that day I had always worn it. As a reminder of my promise to him… of the special place he had had my heart.

A dull light could be seen at the end of the corridor. It wasn't long until we finally reached it and arrived to the arena. Seems I wasn't wrong on my assumption of this place being like a real coliseum after all. It only missed the audience around us to pass as the real thing.

Once we stood waiting in the center of the wide battle ground, I couldn't help but to look up at the strange four lit flames sitting atop the structure. There was something kind of… unnatural and disturbing about them…

We started to hear footsteps coming from the gate in the opposite direction and moments later, Aigis, Metis and Fukka made their apparition. We all just kept staring at each other. Aigis… no matter what I couldn't forgive her for not being there with us when we went to see him for the last time. What right did she have to make a decision about this when she had been the first one to run away?

"Aigis…" a clearly hesitant Fuuka said to her. The word "worry" plastered all over her face.

I decided to break the silence being a little carefree with both myself and them. "It's strange… I kinda want to say "long time no see" you guys". It was the truth, after all, the track of the flow of time in this place was so messed up that one couldn't know if minutes or hours had already passed. But also, because I felt like the decision we all had made about this had separated us in a manner we had never expected.

"Yukari-chan…" the green haired girl said.

"You know…" I continued, remembering our talk with Junpei on the stairs, "I had a feeling a while back that something like this might happen".

They still didn't dare to talk, and Mitsuru-senpai took that as her cue to speak up. "There are four lit flames… This battle will determine which side gains the true key. Well…? Have you made your choice? Tell me that you didn't defeat the other without a clear objective…"

So that was it. Guess we had been right about Aigis being able to take down the other four then. Had she really had the determination to do so? Or had it been only thanks to Minato's power that now resided in her? It was time to finally found out.

"Yes... I've made my decision" the blonde girl started. "I know what I want to do. There was something crucial that I hadn't known... But my sister revealed it to me. To care about someone dear to you, to strengthen the bonds of friendship... That doesn't necessarily mean that the pain of living will stop".

"Sister..." Metis muttered.

"If something's precious, you don't want to lose it... If someone's dear, it's painful to part with them... Loss can hurt, but... I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I, too, have something important... That's why I'm willing to fight you two now", she finished, the edge of determination finally back to her voice after so much time. That was the Aigis I knew. I couldn't help but to give a small smile at her thoughts, since I felt as if she of all people was lecturing us.

"Aigis..." Mitsuru-senpai whispered.

A small chuckle escaped me. "You sound like you're back to your usual self again. Y'know, I have to say, you've been a little out of it lately... It was kinda disappointing, because you were acting all mechanical, like when you first got to the dorm", I said, remembering all the awkward and weird moments we spent showing her around the city when she first arrived here. "But now... I'd say you've got more life in you than ever".

"Yukari-san..." Aigis said, the ghost of a surprised smile appearing on her face, yet as soon as she heard my next words, it was as if she was taken aback. "All the same time... I can't give in, either", any kind of amiability now gone from my voice, my smile replaced by a frown. After all, I was also decided to follow the advice of Junpei and Sanada-senpai. I wouldn't show any mercy on this fight and if she intended to defeat me, she had to prove that she was worthy of wielding Minato's power once and for all. "This maybe will be a little dangerous… so stay back Fuuka. I guess you know very well that our Personas aren't that aggressive… but we will not be considered at the moment to fight", I warned my friend, whom now had an agitated look on her eyes, but thankfully took my advice.

The doors behind us suddenly closed, as if they automatically sensed the upcoming battle. I raised my bow while Mitsuru-senpai reached for her rapier and we took a battle stance. It was enough to make our opponents finally react and do the same, Fuuka separating from them and standing at a prudent distance.

So much was at stake. The chance for making him come back to us. And I was not going to let it go for nothing on the world.

"I'm not gonna lose this battle... no matter what!"

Author notes:

Nothing much to say, except that after finally being able to play and finish "P3 FES The Answer" it only made me love the characters even more. Most probably the reason I decided to write this was since Yukari had in my opinion, the most emotional scenes and was heavily implied through all the game that she had the most chances to end up with the Minato, her feelings "The Answer" portray for him assuring me that.

On the other side, I guess that those 30-hour-dungeon-crawling you first must go through were worth it just to see such heartbreaking battles between the team (not to mention difficult, Yukari Megidolaon'd my ass out of the blue the first time I battled her lol). I also think that Junpei was the most likeable character on that part, as he clearly understood both sides and realized that a royal screw up was at hand had they made the wrong choice.

Finally, the "Jesus" concept they gave to Minato, I think it was beautiful yet so sad at the same time, since he sacrificed even his after-life in order to prevent the coming of Nyx. I would like to think that if all of S.E.E.S. had somehow managed to share their powers to create the seal, maybe making their Personas actually became said barrier, he would not have died… oh well, maybe we will see Minato sometime later in the future, as P4 hints… can't wait to play that game.


End file.
